{"id":397,"date":"2024-12-17T11:14:52","date_gmt":"2024-12-17T11:14:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/192.168.10.18\/arslan\/Demo\/GeekyBot\/?p=397"},"modified":"2025-06-19T04:58:28","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T04:58:28","slug":"what-is-parenting-what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-parent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demo.geekybot.com\/index.php\/what-is-parenting-what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-parent\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Parenting? What Does It Mean to Be a Parent?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"author info\"><strong>Parenting Goals<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthyplace.com\/about-healthyplace\/authors\/tanya-j-peterson-biography\/\">TANYA J. PETERSON<\/a>\u00a0<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"content\">\r\n<div class=\"field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.healthyplace.com\/sites\/default\/files\/inline-images\/What-is-Parenting-What-Does-It-Mean-to-be-a-Parent.jpg\" alt=\"Definitions of parenting help you know what parenting is. Beyond that, knowing what it means to be a parent can provide an insightful perspective.  Learn more on HealthyPlace.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" data-entity-type=\"file\" data-entity-uuid=\"135fae46-600d-437f-8af5-77aa59b3f8d8\" \/><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item\">What, really, is parenting? Often, people are excited when they learn that they\u2019re expecting their first child. Certainly, other emotions float in and out. Questions form, such as, \u201cIs it really better to breastfeed? What if I can\u2019t?\u201d or, \u201cHow do you get a baby to fall asleep in the middle of the night?\u201d These questions and others like them are important. Two of the most important questions, though, are often overlooked: \u201cWhat is parenting?\u201d and \u201cWhat does it mean to be a parent?\u201d Understanding the essence of parenting can help you create your own meaningful definition of parenting that will guide you through the incredible roller coaster of the parenting journey.\r\n<h2>What Is Parenting?<\/h2>\r\nExamining dictionary definitions of parenting is a helpful start. Sources such as Merriam-Webster, the Cambridge Dictionary, Collins Dictionary, and Dictionary.com define what parenting is in very similar ways. Using an amalgam of these official sources, the definition of parenting includes elements like these:\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>The process of raising a child from birth to independent adulthood<\/li>\r\n<li>Facilitating the upbringing of a child through all stages of development<\/li>\r\n<li>Caring for and nurturing a child<\/li>\r\n<li>Fulfilling the\u00a0<a title=\"What Are Parental Rights and Responsibilities?\" href=\"https:\/\/www.healthyplace.com\/parenting\/parenting-skills-strategies\/what-are-parental-rights-and-responsibilities\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">parental responsibilities<\/a>\u00a0that accompany child-raising<\/li>\r\n<li>The act of caring for a child rather than the biological connection to a child<\/li>\r\n<li>Establishing a healthy environment as the child grows\u2014taking actions to ensure social development and education that aligns with your values<\/li>\r\n<li>Providing a financially stable home life (note: this is not the same as being wealthy)<\/li>\r\n<li>Adjusting to the changing needs of a child as they grow and develop<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nThese definitions are accurate and helpful, providing some insight into what parenting is. However, they are a bit stark and black-and-white, delineating a definition of parenting as a simple checklist. In that respect, they fall a bit short of a valuable\u00a0<a title=\"Should I Get Some Parenting Education Before the Baby Comes?\" href=\"https:\/\/www.healthyplace.com\/parenting\/parenting-help\/should-i-get-some-parenting-education-before-the-baby-comes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">parenting education<\/a>. Parenting can also be described as the meaning it holds for parents.\r\n<h2>What Does It Mean to Be a Parent?<\/h2>\r\n<a title=\"What Is Good Parenting?\" href=\"https:\/\/www.healthyplace.com\/parenting\/parenting-skills-strategies\/what-is-good-parenting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Good parenting<\/a>\u00a0isn\u2019t just a robotic tending to the needs of a child. While this care is crucial, it\u2019s not the only aspect of parenting. The American Psychological Association (n.d.) describes three primary goals of parenting; only the first one involves basic needs.\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Keeping children healthy and safe<\/li>\r\n<li>Preparing kids for independent adulthood<\/li>\r\n<li>Teaching values that align with the parents\u2019 culture<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nSimilarly, the organization Proud 2 Parent (2017) lists these concepts as parenting definitions:\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Meeting basic needs<\/li>\r\n<li>Protection<\/li>\r\n<li>Preparation<\/li>\r\n<li>Love<\/li>\r\n<li>Leading<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nKeeping kids safe and healthy and providing basic needs are crucial survival needs. Parenting involves these other missions, too, responsibilities that infuse parenting with deeper meaning. Preparing children for adulthood is the overarching\u00a0<a title=\"Do Mom and Dad Still Have Differing Parental Roles?\" href=\"https:\/\/www.healthyplace.com\/parenting\/parenting-skills-strategies\/do-mom-and-dad-still-have-differing-parental-roles\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">role of a parent<\/a>. A phrase to illustrate the idea is this: You\u2019re not raising a child; you\u2019re raising an adult. Every day, parents make choices and act in deliberate ways to help shape their children into people with character, respect, a sense of responsibility, motivation, and skills to help them be both successful as kids and as adults. Leading relates to this preparation. Parents\u2019 actions speak louder than words; indeed, leading by example is more effective than lecturing. While it seems like this preparation and leading by example are heavy responsibilities that require multiple\u00a0<a title=\"Good Parenting Skills That Will Benefit Your Family\" href=\"https:\/\/www.healthyplace.com\/parenting\/parenting-skills-strategies\/good-parenting-skills-that-will-benefit-your-family\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">parenting skills<\/a>, they\u2019re also fun. This preparation is done largely through outings together, playing games together, generally living life together. Preparation is about actions.\u00a0 It can create strong parent-child bonds and infuses parenting with meaning. Parental meaning, maybe even stronger than preparation, is the act and attitude of unconditional love. Raising kids can be challenging and peppered with difficult times; however, when your relationship is rooted in love, you have a bond that remains strong and can bring you together any time you disagree and argue. Loving your children nurtures them and helps them thrive. A hug, a kiss on the head, laughter, and the joy of being together is perhaps the best description of the meaning of parenting. It\u2019s what parenting is all about.\r\n<h3>Disclaimer<\/h3>This content has been reposted from\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthyplace.com\/parenting\/parenting-skills-strategies\/what-is-parenting-what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-parent\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">HealthyPlace.com\/<\/a> for informational purposes only. \u00a0<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Parenting Goals\u00a0TANYA J. PETERSON\u00a0 What, really, is parenting? Often, people are excited when they learn that they\u2019re expecting their first [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3107,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[126,112,114,145],"tags":[389,393,390,387,394,384,386,391,392,395,388,385],"class_list":["post-397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-health-wellness","category-lifestyle","category-parenting","tag-child-development","tag-discipline-and-parenting","tag-effective-parenting","tag-family-life","tag-nurturing-children","tag-parenthood","tag-parenting-advice","tag-parenting-goals","tag-parenting-in-the-digital-age","tag-parenting-strategies","tag-positive-parenting","tag-raising-children"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.geekybot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.geekybot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.geekybot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.geekybot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.geekybot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=397"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/demo.geekybot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/397\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1517,"href":"https:\/\/demo.geekybot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/397\/revisions\/1517"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.geekybot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3107"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.geekybot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.geekybot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.geekybot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}